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Essential to the safety of your chimney, bird and bee hive removal services can protect your family from the risks of having a chimney fire. Birds like to hibernate in chimneys, as they see them as a warm and safe place to call home during the colder months. When those birds part from a chimney, they leave all the nesting behind, which can cause a chimney blockage or fire. Bees commonly build hives on chimney walls, and the wax combs of a bee hive can be fire hazards as well. The trained technicians at Weststar Chimney Sweeps provide experienced bird and bee hive removal from chimneys and believe you should understand what this service entails.

If you have bees or birds living in your chimney, call Weststar Chimney Sweeps! We can safely remove their hives or nests, and prevent them from returning in the future.

BIRDS

The Dangers of Birds’ Nests

When birds build a nest in a chimney, they tend to choose the top of the chimney as the location. Not only does this pose a problem as a fire hazard, but the nest can also block the chimney’s flue. According to the Chimney Institute of America (CSIA), a chimney blockage can cause the dangerous gas, carbon monoxide, to enter your home and possibly lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. Multiple nests can be inside a chimney and can cause major chimney blockage. Another risk of having birds in your chimney is the spread of histoplasmosis, a disease carried by birds that causes blindness in humans.

The Legalities of Removing Nesting Birds

Certain species of birds cannot be removed from a chimney while they are roosting inside because they are protected by federal law, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Chimney swifts, the most common type of protected bird, always nested in hollow trees in the past, but since many of these old trees have been cut down over the years, chimney swifts began building their nests inside chimneys. You should never trust a chimney sweep company that offers to remove nesting chimney swifts. Anyone who knowingly destroys these birds or their nests containing eggs or baby birds can be fined and penalized. You will have to wait until all chimney swifts leave before their nests can be removed.

A Solution to Prevent Birds from Nesting in Your Chimney

To keep birds out of your chimney, a chimney cap with wire meshing or a top-sealing damper needs to be installed properly on top of your chimney. Preventing birds from entering your chimney means you will not have to worry about the hazards birds and their nests can create.

BEES

The Problem with Honeycomb

Some people think they can smoke bees out of a chimney by lighting a fire; however, this can pose a problem. Not only are the wax combs a fire hazard, but when the fire heats up the hive, honey begins to melt down chimney walls. The smell of the honey can attract even more bees to invade your chimney.

The Answer to Stopping a Bee Invasion

Just as with birds, a properly-installed chimney cap or top-sealing damper works to keep bees from entering your chimney. At Weststar Chimney Sweeps, we will remove any bee hives from your chimney as well as customize a cap or damper on the top of your chimney to prevent more bees from building hives on your chimney walls.

Experiencing an invasion of your chimney by birds or bees? Contact Weststar Chimney Sweeps today to schedule an appointment for our CSIA-certified technicians to take care of this problem for you.

Who would’ve imagined they’d ever read about the birds and the bees in relation to their chimney. The fact of the matter is, these are just two more reasons homeowners must be forever vigilant where chimney maintenance in concerned. Otherwise your chimney could become inundated with bird nests and beehives in no time at all. Your chimney is a very inviting place for birds and bees; your job is to find a way to make it a little less appealing and/or available to them.

If you have bees or birds living in your chimney, call Weststar Chimney Sweeps! We can safely remove their hives or nests, and prevent them from returning in the future.

Birds in your chimney?

Migratory birds don’t sound like much of an issue to a lot of homeowners; the problem only comes to light when those homeowners decide that they no longer welcome these feathered guests. It’s not quite as simple as just rolling up the welcome mat and telling them to find somewhere else to nest during their stay.

Chimney swifts are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibits the removal of any migrating bird without a federal permit. In addition to the prohibited removal, these birds always return to the same nesting spots year after year; loosely translated, if you had a nest in your chimney last year, you can expect the same bird family to return this year.

If you decide you no longer want them making themselves at home in your home, preventative measures must be taken soon after the birds make their southerly return flight. The good news is that it is very simple to bird-proof your chimney. This is the purpose of a chimney cap. The key is to have it installed while the birds are living down south, as it is illegal for a chimney sweep to remove the nest, eggs or any migratory birds that have made themselves at home in your chimney.

Bees in your chimney?

Before moving into your chimney, bees will send out scouting parties (approximately ranging in size from 10-100 bees) in search of a new home. Your chimney can be extremely inviting for them. To get rid of bees before they’ve move in, you can simply light a fire.

If the hive in the chimney is established, the last thing you want to do is light a fire. Upon doing so, the bees will simply gather at the top of the chimney for as long as the fire is burning. It is also possible that the heat from the fire will melt honey down the sides of your chimney causing a more permanent honey smell that’ll continue attracting bees for many years to come.

What is the problem with a few birds or bees in your chimney? Those bird nests and beehives can really put your family in danger. They pose real health and fire hazards that need to be addressed. If you are dealing with birds and bees in your chimney, we encourage you to have the CSIA-certified professionals at Weststar Chimney Sweeps conduct a chimney inspection. You can be sure we will keep your chimney, your family and your home safe. Give us a call today!

“I don’t need a chimney cap. Why should I have a cap”. Well…recently, I got a call about birds in the chimney. The canine friend of the family would not quit barking at the fireplace. Not birds but a raccoon instead. Oh my.

A chimney cap that is properly-sized and installed can prevent a face like this one sticking out of your chimney.

You’ve done an excellent job in taking good care of your chimney during winter, but no matter how cautious you’ve been, there might still be things that happen inside the chimney that are just beyond your control. Winter might have left some damages behind that need to be inspected and fixed and have to be attended to right away. Our Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) certified chimney sweeps from Weststar Chimney Sweeps would like to put your mind at ease.

There are certain parts of the chimney which are vital in directing the smoke out the right way; parts like the:

Flue

Flue liner

Damper

Smoke Chamber

These parts help create draft inside the chimney. However, these are also the parts that are most prone to creosote buildup or other obstructions making it harder for smoke to go out. This opens doors to a lot of problems that will not only cost thousands in repairs, but may even cost you something more valuable—your health or even your life.

What to do

To prevent objects from entering the chimney, it’s best to have a chimney cap installed so that the inside of your chimney is protected from all the dangers that the outside world can bring. Some examples are animals, debris, spider webs and leaves.

Even if you don’t use your chimney during spring, it’s best to keep animals and water out. Remember, it’s not just to prepare for the next winter season, we want to make sure that your chimney continues to be efficient for many years to come. Let us help keep your heating system in tip-top shape.

Do you see water starting to drip inside your chimney? Are you aware that the damage it brings is can be permanent and could cost you a lot of money? Do you also know that leaks inside your chimney can cause even bigger problems like the growth of molds and deterioration of your chimney walls? The answer may be a chase cover.

This is one of the reasons why our family-owned company, Weststar Chimney Sweeps, is here – to let you know why you might need to have a chimney chase cover installed in your home. Established in 1999, we pride ourselves with quality chimney services. One thing to feel confident about is that we are licensed by the Chimney Safety Institute of America and have over thirty years of experience in the industry.

Air flow is critical for your chimney to work effectively and safely. A chase cover keeps out things that may cause blockages.

What are Chase Covers?

Chase covers are a special add-on for additional safety and stability to the overall performance of your chimney. It acts as a barrier and a protector of the delicate parts inside your chimney like that of the chimney flues and flue liner. Basically, they perform the task of preventing anything from going inside the chimney especially water. Blockages or any kind of obstruction from external and environmental causes are also prevented.

Different Metals for Different Tastes

You might be wondering what to get since you’re not quite familiar with the kinds of chase covers out in the market. Actually, there are just two and they are very common for most homes: stainless steel and copper. They can be a bit pricey, but the results are long-term. It can last you many winters. The durability and beauty of these chase covers are definitely worth every penny.

Why Do I Need One at All?

Chase covers are good for three things. First of all, it saves you a great deal of money. Why? Because it acts as a rooftop to your chimney:

Leaks will be prevented. Since water cannot go inside the chimney and form molds and slowly destroy the chimney walls.

It can prevent chimney swifts, bird nests and spider webs from entering and blocking your chimney.

Lastly, it provides such an aesthetic appeal to the appearance of your home. It gives people the impression of safety as a priority and not something you keep in the sidelines.

If you have a chase cover, the lesser chance you’ll have of unnecessarily damaging your chimney. So what are you waiting for? Chase covers are definitely a must-have for any homeowner out there who wishes for nothing more than an efficient, safe and effective chimney. Pay the price later or upgrade to a chase cover now, let us know if you decide to make this improvement to your home.